Brothers in Motion

"Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" is a 1971 American independent blaxploitation action thriller film written, co-produced, scored, edited, directed by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles. His son Mario Van Peebles appears in a small role, playing the title character as a young boy. The film tells the story of a poor black man fleeing from the white police authorities.🖤👑🎬🎥

Van Peebles developed the film after being offered a three-picture contract with Columbia Pictures. However, no studio would finance the film, so Van Peebles funded it himself, shooting it independently over 19 days, performing all of his own stunts and appearing in several s*x scenes, some reportedly unsimulated. He received a $50,000 loan from Bill Cosby to complete the project. The film's fast-paced montages and jump-cuts were unique in American cinema at the time. It was censored in some markets and received mixed reviews, but has left a lasting impression on American cinema.

The musical score was performed by Earth, Wind & Fire. Van Peebles released the soundtrack album prior to the film's release to generate publicity. Initially, the film was screened in only two theaters in the United States (in Atlanta and Detroit). It went on to gross $15.2 million at the box office. Huey P. Newton celebrated the film's revolutionary implications, and "Sweetback" became required viewing for members of the Black Panther Party. According to Variety, it demonstrated to Hollywood that films portraying "militant" Blacks could be highly profitable, leading to the creation of the blaxploitation genre, although critic Roger Ebert did not consider this work to be an exploitation film.

In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Summary:

A young African-American orphan is sheltered by a Los Angeles brothel in the 1940s. Working as a towel boy, he is seduced by one of the prostitutes and named "Sweet Sweetback" in honor of his s*xual prowess. As an adult, Sweetback performs in the wh******se s*x show.

One night, two white LAPD officers arrest Sweetback to appease their superiors and also arrest a young Black Panther named Mu-Mu. Sweetback beats the officers into comas and flees. He seeks help but is repeatedly turned away. Sweetback meets up with Mu-Mu and black gangsters drive them to the outskirts of Los Angeles. They encounter the Hells Angels, and Sweetback wins a duel with their president.

The police continue their pursuit, and Sweetback kills two officers in self-defense. Mu-Mu is badly wounded, and a member of the East Bay Dragons helps them. Sweetback decides to stay behind while Mu-Mu is taken to safety. Sweetback escapes to Mexico, vowing to return.

Cast:

Melvin Van Peebles as Sweetback
Mario Peebles as Young Sweetback / Kid
Hubert Scales as Mu-Mu
Simon Chuckster as "Beetle"
John Dullaghan as Commissioner
West Gale
Niva Rochelle
Rhetta Hughes as Old Girl Friend
Nick Ferrari
Ed Rue
Johnny Amos as Biker
Lavelle Roby
Ted Hayden

In 1930, Katherine Dunham formed Ballet Negre, which was one of just a few ballet companies available to black students at the time. Shortly thereafter, struggling with a lack of financial support, the company disbanded. In 1933, she opened her first dance school in Chicago (the Negro Dance Group) for young black dancers. In 1934, she revived Ballet Negre with performers from her dance school. In 1939, she became the dance director of the New York Labor Stage, and six years later she opened the Dunham School of Dance in New York.
Miss Dunham was an international personality. She used bodies in motion to create ties among peoples of the African diaspora. During a tour in the late 1940s, one critic called Dunham an “ambassador with hips.” Miss Dunham said about her dance company: “Without Europe, we couldn’t have survived” (Aschenbrenner, conversation with the author, 1978). The Dunham Company toured to enthusiastic reviews from the 1930s through the 1950s, including venues in Mexico, London, Paris, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia and throughout the United States.
Katherine Dunham, circa 1940s..” Photo: Corbis.

Sidewalk Detroit

Orchard Lake Fine Art Show, July 27 & 28, 2024 ​ Orchard Lake Fine Art Show, July 27 & 28, 2024 Dates Saturday, July 27, 2024 | 10am – 6pmSunday, July 28,2024 | 10am – 5pm Venue 6925 Daly Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322. (S. of Maple, W. of Orchard Lake Road). Plenty of free parking in the last back half of the parking lot behind […]

Sponsored: Detroit's sustainable fashion future takes shape at ISAIC ISAIC (Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center) in Detroit works at the promising intersection of sustainable fashion and racial empowerment.

Hey my dawlings!!!!! On April 5 poets One Single Rose®️ Brittini Ward Jason Ford Esau Parker and Honeycomb with the word meet jazz musicians Randal V. Wilson, Takashi Iio and Willie Harris in Jazzetry: Spirit of Regeneration at the DIA. It’s a free event!!!

***Please help us pack the house!!!!!***

Come early to dine before the show. Hope to see you there!!!

Link to register and deets below.

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https://dia.org/events/jazzetry-spirit-regeneration

Wayne County High School Art Exhibition 2024 | Detroit Institute of Arts Museum For the second year, this juried exhibition celebrates the work of students in grades 9-12 throughout Wayne County. Featuring 85 imaginative artworks by emergin...